Daily Devotions For The Deaf

John was the brother of James. John was at the cross when Jesus died. Jesus told John to take care of His mother, Mary. Later John preached to the Jews about Jesus. He also wrote five books in the New Testament. John was sent away to the island of Patmos. Why? Because he was preaching about Jesus. While John was on the island, God gave him a special message to share. This message is written in the book of Revelation. God told John what heaven will be like and who will be able to live with Him forever. John must have been excited to learn more about heaven. Our Bible verses today tell us some of the things that John saw. We should be excited that Jesus will come back someday and take His followers to live with Him. God has wonderful things prepared for Christians who are faithful to Him! Be sure that you continue to follow and obey God every day.

Three apostles were very close to Jesus — Peter, James and John. These three men were able to see and hear special things with Jesus. In Mark 3:17, James and his brother, John, are called “Sons of Thunder.” This may mean that James and John were quick to become angry. In our Bible verses today, some people in Samaria would not accept Jesus. James and John said (verse 54b), “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven and destroy those people?” Verse 55 says that Jesus criticized James and John for saying that. At that time, James and John needed to learn about patience and forgiveness. Jesus helped them both change. James and John became bold preachers for Jesus. Sometimes people make us angry. We should not want to do bad things to those people. We should follow Jesus’ example of forgiveness. Let Jesus control your life and change you today.

Andrew was one of the first people to follow Jesus. Our Bible Reading tells us that before Andrew followed Jesus, he followed John the Baptizer. Andrew was with John when he pointed to Jesus and said (verse 36b), “Look, the Lamb of God!” After this, Andrew followed Jesus and learned from Him. Yesterday we talked about Peter. Peter was Andrew’s brother. Peter and Andrew were fishermen. Maybe Andrew was afraid to tell Peter about Jesus. But verse 42 says that Andrew brought Peter to Jesus. Sometimes it is hard to tell our family members about Jesus. We may be afraid that they will reject Jesus or think we are foolish. We should be like Andrew and share Jesus with all of our family and friends. Follow Andrew’s example today. Share the Good News about Jesus with someone!

Today we will talk about Peter, who was also called Simon. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John describe Peter as a man of action. They also describe him as a man who sometimes talked when he should have listened. Peter walked on water until he took his eyes off Jesus. Then he started to sink. Another time Peter boasted that he would never leave Jesus. Within hours, Peter said three times that he did not know Jesus. Many people look at Peter and see his weaknesses. But in our Bible Reading today we see a new Peter. He has been filled with the Holy Spirit. Peter is now a courageous preacher. Maybe it is hard for you to say and do the right things. Maybe you are afraid to tell other people about Jesus. God can change you — just like He changed Peter. Let God work through you today.

Many people followed Jesus. Our Bible Reading tells us that Jesus prayed to God all night. Then Jesus chose twelve men to be His special helpers. These helpers are sometimes called apostles. These men worked with Jesus for three years. They learned from His teaching and watched Jesus do many miracles. Then these twelve men helped establish God’s church on earth. Who were these apostles? They were ordinary men. Most of them came from the lower class and were uneducated. These men were not perfect — each man had weaknesses. But Jesus chose these men to be the foundation of the church. For the next twelve days we will read about these apostles. We will learn what they did when they were with Jesus. But most important, we will see that they dedicated their lives to telling people about Jesus. Jesus’ apostles were willing to give up their lives for God. Praise God for these ordinary men who loved God so much!

People enjoy looking at pictures of children. We fill photo albums with pictures of our children and grandchildren. As we look at the pictures, we can see how children grow from tiny babies into adults. The Bible does not tell us much about Jesus as a child, but our Bible verses today give us some important information about Jesus. First, we learn that Jesus obeyed His parents. “Jesus went with them to Nazareth and obeyed them” (verse 51b). Second, we learn that Jesus grew physically. Verse 52 says that He grew taller. And third, we learn that “God was pleased with him and so were the people who knew him” (verse 52b). We need to be like Jesus. We should be obedient, and we should live so that God is pleased with us. Read and study God’s Word today. Then you will make right choices and be a true servant for God.

Matthew, Mark and Luke tell us about a man who came to Jesus. In verse 17 of our Bible Reading, we see that the man asked Jesus a question. “Good Teacher, what must I do to get the life that never ends?” Jesus answered by listing some of the Old Testament commands. The man told Jesus he had been obeying those commands since he was a boy. Then Jesus told the man, “There is still one thing you need to do. Go and sell everything you have. Give the money to those who are poor, and you will have riches in heaven. Then come and follow me” (verse 21b). The man was upset and went away sad. Why? Because his money and possessions were more important to him than following Jesus. Sometimes we are like that man. We make our possessions, our money and our hobbies more important than obeying God. Think about your life today. Are there things or activities that are more important to you than serving Jesus? Make Jesus the center of your life.

I was living a normal life. I was busy, and I didn’t have time to think about death and my relationship with God. Then I became friends with someone who had cancer. I tried to help my friend and support her. Later she asked me to move to Texas so I could help her more. I moved to Texas, and soon I realized that my friend would not live long. My friend told me that she believed in God. When she died, I started thinking about death. I became afraid of my future. Finally I decided that I needed to follow Jesus and accept His gift of salvation. Our Bible verses today talk about how God protects us. “You trust in the Lord for protection. You have made God Most High your place of safety” (verse 9). Maybe you are thinking about death and your future. Give your life to God. He will take care of you and give you life with Him forever.

What is our reason for living on earth? God wants us to know Him and have a personal relationship with Jesus. But what about after we become a Christian? What is our reason for living then? Our Bible Reading today tells us that Christians have the most important job on earth. We are to tell the Good News about Jesus to everyone we meet. After Jesus rose from the dead, He met with His disciples and taught them. As Jesus was getting ready to return to heaven, He told His followers, “Go everywhere in the world. Tell the Good News to everyone. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved. But those who do not believe will be judged guilty” (verses 15b-16). Our job here on earth is to be a witness for Jesus. I hope you will be a witness today. Share the Good News about Jesus with someone who needs to know about God’s love and salvation.

Our Bible Reading today is part of the Christmas story. These verses tell us about the wise men. We do not know a lot about these men, but they probably studied the stars. The wise men came to see Jesus, “the king of the Jews” (verse 2). The gifts these men brought to Jesus were gifts that would be given to an earthly king — gold, frankincense and myrrh. These gifts may seem strange to us today. Gold was a symbol for royalty and wealth. Many kings wore crowns made out of gold. When frankincense was burned, it gave off a very nice smell. This may have been a symbol of worship. Myrrh was a spice that was used to prepare bodies for burial. Perhaps this gift predicted Jesus’ death on the cross. The wise men brought gifts to show honor to Jesus. We can show honor to Jesus by giving Him our lives and our service.

Jesus’ followers were in a boat on the lake. The wind was blowing hard. Then Jesus came to them, walking on the water. When the followers first saw Him, they thought Jesus was a ghost. They were frightened! Jesus told them to not be afraid. Then Peter asked Jesus if he could walk to Him on the water. Peter got out of the boat and started walking to Jesus. But Peter looked at the water and the waves. “He was afraid and began sinking into the water” (verse 30b). So Jesus reached out and helped Peter. When Peter began to sink, Jesus could have calmed the waves so Peter wouldn’t be afraid. Instead, Jesus “caught Peter with his hand” (verse 31a) and helped him into the boat. Sometimes we face scary things, too. Jesus does not always take them away. Instead, He helps us face our problems and worries. Are you facing problems today? No matter what your problems are, don’t forget that Jesus will be with you. He will stay close to you and help you.

My wife and I have faced financial stuggles in our marriage. At one time, my wife was working two jobs to help pay the bills. It was at that time I suggested to my wife that we give God one-tenth of our income. My wife was not sure that was a good idea. She didn’t think we could give away that much money and still live. I reminded her that our money does not really belong to us — it belongs to God. My wife and I had faith that God would take care of us, so we started giving one-tenth to Him. God took care of us and blessed us in many different ways. Hebrews, chapter 11, talks about people from the Bible who had faith in God. Because of their faith, God blessed them. Trust God with your money and your possessions today. He will provide for you and bless you in amazing ways!

If I have a car, I need to do certain things to keep my car running smoothly. I need to change the oil, make sure the tires are filled with air and keep enough fluid in the radiator. These things are called “maintenance.” When we become a Christian, we need to do some maintenance to help us grow spiritually. We need to pray and study God’s Word. We also need to confess our sins and repent. Our Bible Reading today talks about confession and repentance. We may look at other Christians and think that they are doing something wrong. But before we criticize them for what they are doing, we need to get rid of the wrong things in our lives. We need to tell God what we have done wrong and ask Him to forgive us. Be humble before God today. Examine your life, confess your sins and ask for forgiveness. God will forgive you and help you grow in Him.

Our Bible Reading today is a prayer that Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus prayed this prayer on the night before He was crucified. Jesus began this prayer by talking about eternal life. “And this is eternal life: that people can know you, the only true God, and that they can know Jesus Christ, the one you sent” (verse 3). Then Jesus prayed that His disciples would obey God and be protected from the devil. Finally, Jesus prayed for all people who would believe in Him. That night in the garden, Jesus prayed for you and me! “Father, I pray that all who believe in me can be one. You are in me and I am in you. I pray that they can also be one in us. Then the world will believe that you sent me” (verse 21). Jesus was concerned about other people. He prayed for His disciples, and He prayed for us. Be like Jesus today. Pray for your family, your friends and people who need to know about Jesus.

Verse 1 of our Bible Reading says, “Then Jesus taught the followers that they should always pray and never lose hope.” Jesus told His followers a story to help them understand. The story was about a woman whose husband had died. A man was doing bad things to this woman. So the woman went to a judge to ask for help. The judge didn’t care about God or other people. But the woman kept bothering the judge and asking for his help. So finally, the judge helped the woman. God is not like that judge. God is good and fair. He pays attention to our prayers and will help us. We should pray and have faith that God will answer our prayers. And, we should continue to pray every day and not give up. Are you facing problems today? Do you need God’s help? Share your problems and your needs with Him. God will pay attention to you and give you what is right.